Explanation:
What type of cloud is that? It is not a
naturally occurring one.
Looking perhaps a bit like a gigantic
owl monster, the cloud
pictured above
resulted from a series of flares released by an air force jet over the
Atlantic Ocean in May.
The jet that released the flares, a
C-17 Globemaster III, is seen on the right.
The flares release smoke and the resulting pattern is sometimes known as a
smoke angel.
The circular eyes of the above smoke angel are caused by
air spiraling off the plane's wings and are known as
wingtip vortices.